Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

The Diamond, Part Deux

It has been three years since Dustin
Poirier fell out of our featherweight top 10 and moved up 10
pounds to arguably the most difficult and competitive weight class
in the sport. Now, the Lafayette, Louisiana, native is back on our
big list, this time as a lightweight.

If the regulation of MMA was just a little more just, “The Diamond”
might have joined the top-10 mix at 155 pounds in May, when he was
piecing up former UFC lightweight champion Eddie
Alvarez until their bout ended in an unceremonious no-contest
after Alvarez landed a pair of illegal knees. Nonetheless, Poirier
seized his moment at UFC Fight Night 120 on Nov. 11, battering and
bloodying former lightweight champion Anthony
Pettis for 12 minutes en route to a third-round submission
finish. With the victory, Poirier is now 6-1 with one no-contest in
his eight bouts since returning to 155 pounds and takes the No. 8
spot on our list, bumping the previously 10th-ranked Evan Dunham
to the bubble list.

The events of UFC Fight Night 120 are also responsible for another
top-10 exit. Previously seventh-ranked women’s strawweight Angela Hill
was upset by unranked Nina
Ansaroff via unanimous decision. With the defeat, Hill tumbles
out of our 115-pound rankings and joins Ansaroff on our contenders
list, while undefeated hot prospect Cynthia
Calvillo makes her debut in our top 10.